Step-by-Step Guide to Prayer (Salah)

 

Step-by-Step Guide to Prayer 1/7 (Wudu)

Better than a Doctorate Degree from Harvard

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If you see anyone drinking tea, and you ask him what he is drinking, he will tell you “tea.” There is sugar in the tea, but he will not mention the sugar, no one ever says he is drinking tea-and-sugar. No doubt the sweetness of the sugar fills the tea, but the person drinks and says nothing about it.

The long standing tradition of Qur’anic memorization is analogous to the sugar, doing its work in secret. In a child who embarks on the journey of memorizing Qur’an we see that the hands, nose, ears, eyes, and tongue are dynamic, but no one can see what the soul is accomplishing. Their ears come across as listening, and their tongues seems to be talking. But no matter what it may seem to be, it is not only the tongue that talks. And in spite of form, it is not only the ears that hear. That which speaks and hears is the invisible soul within. The effect of the long standing tradition of Qur’anic memorization on a child is similarly invisible.

And this is what happens to a child when he memorizes the words of Allah, the Exalted. We might think they are just memorizing words. But in actuality, every letter they say, every sound they make, makes an imprint in their hearts and minds which enables them to take the imitated step of converting his oral recognition of Qur’anic language into a physical act.

The best education we can give our children is the memorization of the Holy Qur’an. As Rasulullah (saw) said:

“No group of people gathers in one of the houses of Allah to recite the Book of Allah and study it together, but tranquility descends upon them, the angels surround them, mercy comes down upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him.” (Muslim).

The first group of students I ever taught was a group of 9 year-olds in a Hafidh Program in 1998. I was merely their English teacher. As each day passed by, I saw little beings change from being passive to being connected. I witnessed what seemed at the time insignificant moments of sharing between classmates evolve into brotherhood. I saw the honor of one being defended by all, and I saw the grief of a few being shared by many. They finished the school year with highest class percentage of 98% in all subjects, and to this day continue to excel academically. This is rare to find in America today. There was nothing magical in it. They were revolutionized because they entrusted their time with Allah, by the memorization of the Holy Qur’an, the words of Allah, the Exalted.

The vessels for preservation of Islam are in our children’s hearts. Allah says:

“Nay, but they, the clear ayat, are preserved in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge…” [Qur’an 29:49]

It is our duty to plant these seeds in our children for we must equip them for what lay ahead of them. There is no better time to preserve our heritage than today, in these critical times.

As there are numerous full-time schools sprouting in the west, it is time that we as parents invest our children’s time memorizing the Qur’an and join the ranks of thousands who seek to earn the pleasure of Allah (azza wajal) and preserve the very foundation of our Islamic identity. Yes! It’s better than a doctorate degree from Harvard as we are reminded by the words of the Prophet (saw) about its reward:

Buraydah (r) said: “I was sitting with the Prophet (saw) and I heard him say: ..The Qur’an will meet its companion on the Day of Resurrection when his grave is opened for him, looking like a pale man, and it will say to him, ‘Do you know who I am?’ He will say, I do not know you.’ It will say to him, ‘Do you know who I am?’ He will say, I do not know you.’ It will say, ‘I am your companion the Qur’an, who made you thirsty on hot days and kept you awake at night. Every merchant will benefit from his trade, and today you will benefit too.’ He will be given power in his right hand and immortality in his left, and on his head will be placed a crown of dignity. His parents will be given two garments the like of which could never be made by the people of this world and they will say, ‘How did we earn these?’ It will be said, ‘Because your child learned the Qur’an.’ Then it will be said to him, ‘Read and go up through the levels and rooms of Paradise. He will keep on ascending as long as he reads or recites.'” (Ahmad).

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Should Muslims be Extremists?

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Bukhari :: Volume 1 :: Book 2 :: Hadith 38

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, “Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the nights.” (See Fath-ul-Bari, Page 102, Vol 1).

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What is the meaning of ‘going to extremes’ in Islam? Is it considered extremism if a woman covers her face or a man lets his beard grow? Is it extremism to adhere to the prophet’s way and refuse every innovated matter in Islam? What it is the implication of the fact that the prophet, peace be upon him, when given two options, would choose the easier one?

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Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

The hadeeth which condemns extremism was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Those who go to extremes are doomed.” He said it three times.

Narrated by Muslim (2670).

The scholars have many explanations for what is meant by extremism and those who go to extremes, all of which are in harmony with one another and do not contradict one another. All of them may be summed up as meaning one thing; it boils down to overburdening oneself and being too strict in matters where strictness is inappropriate.

Qualities which make a Believer, successful

﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴾

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Allah mentions in The Glorious Qur’an Surat Al-Mu’minun Chapter 23 verses 1-11

﴿قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ – الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلاَتِهِمْ خَـشِعُونَ – وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُّعْرِضُونَ – وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَـوةِ فَـعِلُونَ – وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَـفِظُونَ – إِلاَّ عَلَى أَزْوَجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ – فَمَنِ ابْتَغَى وَرَآءَ ذلِكَ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ – وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لاًّمَـنَـتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَعُونَ ﴾

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَوتِهِمْ يُحَـفِظُونَ- أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْورِثُونَ- الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـلِدُونَ-﴾

(1. Successful indeed are the believers.) (2. Those who with their Salah are Khashi`un.) (3. And those who turn away from Al-Laghw.) (4. And those who pay the Zakah.) (5. And those who guard their private parts.) (6. Except from their wives or their right hand possessions, for then, they are free from blame.) (7. But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors.) (8. Those who are faithfully true to their Amanat and to their covenants are Ra`un.) (9. And those who strictly guard their Salawat.) (10. These are indeed the heirs. ) (11. Who shall inherit Firdaws. They shall dwell therein forever.)

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Tafsir (Commentary) of the above verses,

﴿قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴾

(Successful indeed are the believers) means, they have attained victory and are blessed, for they have succeeded. These are the believers who have the following characteristics:

﴿الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلاَتِهِمْ خَـشِعُونَ ﴾

(Those who with their Salah are Khashi`un.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said:

﴿خَـشِعُونَ﴾

“(Khashi`un) means those with fear and with tranquillity.” This was also narrated from Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Az-Zuhri. It was reported from `Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, that Khushu` means the Khushu` of the heart. This was also the view of Ibrahim An-Nakha`i. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, “Their Khushu` was in their hearts.” So they lowered their gaze and were humble towards others. Khushu` in prayer is only attained by the one who has emptied his heart totally, who does not pay attention to anything else besides it, and who prefers it above all else.

Spirit of Tolerance in Islam

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Tolerance is a basic principle of Islam. It is a religious moral duty. Islam teaches tolerance on all levels: individual, groups and states. Tolerance is the mechanism that upholds human rights and the rule of law. The Qur’an says very clearly:

(To every People have We appointed rites and ceremonies which they must follow, let them not then dispute with you on the matter, but do invite (them) to your Lord: for you are assuredly on the Right Way. If they do wrangle with you, say, ‘God knows best what it is you are doing.’ ‘God will judge between you on the Day of Judgment concerning the matters in which you differ’) (Al-Hajj 21:76-69).

Intolerance is on the increase in the world today, causing death, genocide, violence, religious persecution as well as confrontations on different levels. Sometimes it is racial and ethnic, sometimes it is religious and ideological, other times it is political and social. In every situation it is evil and painful. How can we solve the problem of intolerance? How can we assert our own beliefs and positions without being intolerant to others? How can we bring tolerance into the world today?

I would like to discuss some of these issues from an Islamic point of view.

What is tolerance? Literally the word “tolerance” means “to bear.” As a concept it means “respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of the world’s cultures, forms of expression and ways of being human.” In Arabic it is called“tasamuh”. There are also other words that give similar meanings, such as“Hilm”(forbearance) or “‘`afu” (pardon, forgiveness) or “safh” (overlooking, disregarding). In the Persian and Urdu languages, we use the word “rawadari” which comes from “rawa” meaning “acceptable or bearable” and “dashtan” meaning “to hold”. Thus it means to hold something acceptable or bearable.

Tolerance is a basic principle of Islam. It is a religious moral duty. It does not mean “concession, condescension or indulgence.” It does not mean lack of principles, or lack of seriousness about one’s principles. Sometimes it is said, “people are tolerant of things that they do not care about.” But this is not the case in Islam.